HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Frydek Catholic Cemetery

Frydek, Austin County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Czech immigrants began settling in this area in the 1850s. They named their new community Frydek after a town in their homeland. When two people died in 1885, they were buried here on land owned by Jan Pavlicek. By 1890, when Pavlicek officially deeded the land to be consecrated by the church, there were thirteen graves in the cemetery. In 1907 the citizens erected a school building here. Used also as a church and nuns' home, the structure was moved to the center of town in 1916. The cemetery remains as a reminder of the area's Czech heritage. (1991)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Czech immigrants began settling this part of Austin County in the 1850s, naming their new home Frydek after a town in their old country. When two of their number died in 1885 they were laid to rest on Jan Pavlicek's land, which he formally deeded to the church in 1890. A schoolhouse that also served as church and convent once stood here, and the cemetery endures as a quiet monument to the area's Czech heritage.

Why it matters

Immigrant burial grounds like Frydek preserve the memory of the Central European communities who reshaped rural Texas in the nineteenth century.

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Related people

  • · Jan Pavlicek

Themes & tags

ImmigrationMemorial

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